Street life photography captures the raw energy of cityscapes — from quiet alleyways and neon-lit nights to bustling markets and candid moments. To elevate your editing workflow and achieve a consistent aesthetic, Lightroom presets can be a powerful tool. Even better? Many great ones are available for free.
Here’s a curated list of the best free presets for street photography that will bring your images to life with drama, contrast, and mood.
1. Photonify – Street Photography Presets (Free Sample Pack)
Enhance your city shots with this Free Urban Landscapes Lightroom Preset, designed to bring a bold and dramatic flair to your urban photography. Whether you're capturing towering skylines, architectural details, or vibrant street scenes, this preset helps elevate the mood and style of your images.
Created by a seasoned photographer and Lightroom specialist, this preset is crafted to work well across a variety of photo types and camera brands. However, keep in mind that every image is unique — feel free to experiment and fine-tune the settings for the best results. The preset is fully customizable, allowing you to adjust tones, contrast, and color balance to suit your creative vision.
Compatible with Lightroom 4, 5, 6, and CC
Works on both Mac and PC
Supports RAW and JPEG formats
Fully editable to match your aesthetic
Pro tip: Use the before-and-after slider to preview the transformation and see how this preset can breathe new life into your cityscapes.
Best for: Gritty urban scenes, portraits in ambient light
2. Preset Love – Urban Cool Lightroom Preset
Urban Cool is crafted to highlight cool tones with a blend of green, blue, and violet hues that deliver a captivating urban aesthetic. This preset enhances saturation subtly, creating images that are both vivid and serene, with a moody edge that complements city life beautifully.
With its carefully tuned tonal balance, this preset adds a modern, polished feel to your photos without overwhelming the image. It’s especially effective for street photography and urban portraiture. Whether you're drawn to minimalist aesthetics or atmospheric street visuals, Urban Cool is a great addition to your editing toolkit. Its popularity speaks for itself — check out the sample edits and see why so many photographers love it.
Best for: Street scenes, architecture, city portraits, and everyday urban moments
Preset Collection: Urban, Blue Tone, Instagram, Moody, Modern
Visual Style: Crisp, cool-toned, vibrant, and contemporary
3. FixThePhoto – Free Urban Lightroom Presets
We highly recommend Urban Lightroom Presets for photographers looking to refine color balance and bring out the best in their city shots. These presets were thoughtfully created with the key elements of urban photography in mind — from varied lighting conditions to diverse subjects like architecture, parks, bustling streets, and layered compositions.
The collection features essential tools for every mood and moment:
HDR presets to enhance depth and clarity
Black & White filters for timeless, dramatic cityscapes
Matte tones perfect for capturing the soft glow of sunrise or sunset
Whether you're editing on desktop or mobile, these presets are incredibly easy to use and fully compatible with Lightroom Mobile as well as Lightroom 4, 5, 6, and CC. With just a few clicks, you can transform your photos into vibrant, atmospheric pieces that reflect the true spirit of the city.
Best for: High-contrast street stories, film-style looks
4. PhotoWhoa – 12 Free Street Photography Presets by Contrastly
🔗 Download from Presets Contrastly
Elevate your urban photography with the 12 Free Street Photography Presets from PhotoWhoa, expertly crafted by Contrastly. This versatile collection offers a range of styles—from the vibrant tones of "Saturated Street" and "Vibrant Warm" to the nostalgic feel of "Retro Street" and the dramatic contrasts of "Black & White Film." Each preset is designed for one-click enhancements, allowing you to effortlessly add mood and depth to your street scenes.
Compatible with Adobe Lightroom on both Windows and Mac, these presets are perfect for photographers aiming to streamline their editing process while achieving professional-quality results.
Whether you're capturing candid moments or architectural details, this free bundle provides the tools to transform your images with ease.
Best for: Street photographers seeking diverse, easy-to-apply presets to add mood, contrast, and vibrancy to their urban scenes.
5. The Presets Room – Moody Orange City Lightroom Presets
🔗 Download from The Presets Room
The Moody Orange City preset from The Presets Room is a free Lightroom preset designed to infuse your urban photography with warm, orange tones, creating a distinctive and dramatic atmosphere. By enhancing details, adjusting temperature, and desaturating cooler hues, this preset delivers a striking contrast that accentuates the vibrancy of cityscapes, especially during nighttime.
It's compatible with both desktop and mobile versions of Lightroom, supporting formats like .xmp, .dng, and .lrtemplate, and works seamlessly across various photo editing software.
Best for: Nighttime cityscapes, urban street photography, and architectural shots seeking a warm, moody aesthetic.
Tips for Using Presets in Street Photography:
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Shoot in RAW: RAW files retain more detail and dynamic range, which allows presets to apply more effectively without compromising image quality.
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Tweak to Taste: Presets are a great starting point, not a one-click solution. Adjust sliders for exposure, white balance, contrast, and clarity to fine-tune the mood.
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Mind the Light: Street photography often includes a wide range of lighting conditions — from harsh sunlight to deep shadows or artificial neon. Use presets suited to the lighting or adjust accordingly.
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Use Local Adjustments: Don’t forget to use Lightroom’s local tools like radial filters or brushes to emphasize the subject or tone down distractions.
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Stay Consistent: If you're building a portfolio or Instagram grid, try to use a consistent style or preset pack across your images for a cohesive look.
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Create Your Own Preset: After tweaking an existing preset to match your vision, save your custom settings as a new preset. It’s a great way to develop your personal editing style.
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Don’t Overdo It: Clarity, contrast, and saturation sliders can be tempting, but subtle edits often look more professional and timeless.
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Compare Before & After: Always check how the preset changes your image — zoom in and toggle before/after views to ensure you're not losing detail or realism.
Whether you're capturing moody subway platforms, street performers, or the dance of sunlight between buildings, these presets will give your work that extra punch — without costing a dime.
Explore. Edit. Share. Let the streets speak through your lens.
